The Chicken thread
Discussion
Mine here (have a read):
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
They are brilliant, great characters that follow us around the garden and chase the dog too!
The eggs are a world apart from the crap you buy believe me.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
They are brilliant, great characters that follow us around the garden and chase the dog too!
The eggs are a world apart from the crap you buy believe me.
Lots of good info above. We have 4 Black Rock ladies - Tikka, Dopiaza, Korma and Jalfrezi. They have a large run and a nesting shed, and initially gave us 4 eggs a day. Slowed down a bit last month or so, but generally recognised as being good layers. We're quite rural and have 'local' rats foxes and badgers (and roe deer, but they just go for the trees) but have had no bother so far - a year touch wood. They have a tunnel arrangement from the main run into the nesting shed - great seeing them use it as a runway! - and as it's all enclosed they put themselves to bed and get themselves up. Vermin control may be aided by presence of 4 hunting large Norwegian Forest cats... we were overrun with rabbits when we first built the house - they now moved on!
Lots of websites- I like http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/ but I buy layers pellets etc - the big items - from local farm stores - I spose not everyone's got them. Best buy for me was water heater to save water getting frozen, and I must admit to succumbing to the Jungle Gym for my girls.
Nina
Lots of websites- I like http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/ but I buy layers pellets etc - the big items - from local farm stores - I spose not everyone's got them. Best buy for me was water heater to save water getting frozen, and I must admit to succumbing to the Jungle Gym for my girls.
Nina
Wondered where you were Matt! How's the house coming on? Am I the only one who's going to be keeping chickens with a view to eating them. Obviously, I'll have one pen with the named ones, and ones for the eaters. Having had chickens in the past (and knowing how delicious the eggs were), I can only assume that one roasted is the finest thing I'll probably ever eat
I've always wanted chickens and took the plunge last June. No regrets whatsoever! I bought three ready to lay (16 weeks old), 2 Light Sussex and a White Leghorn, £15 each from www.heswallhillshenporium.co.uk
I bought a £300 nearly new coop on ebay for £85 and spent £100 on timber and mesh to build a closed andopen run.
I gave them free run of the garden and yes, they've eaten the lawn and anything other kind of vegetation!. Last week I've built a new fence to give them the bottom third of the garden including a greenhouse which is their conservatory!
Pretty much three huge and delicious eggs a day from them and have spent the princely amount of about £30 on feed and shavings for the coop.
Fresh water is a must and they will happily scoff any food scraps you throw out to them, as treats they love sweetcorn and dried mealworms!.
My advice definately do it!! Really therapeutic to sit in the garden and just watch them scratch and forage in soil.
DON'T whatever you do of falling into the Mumsnet trap of calling them chooks, girls or ladies!!
I bought a £300 nearly new coop on ebay for £85 and spent £100 on timber and mesh to build a closed andopen run.
I gave them free run of the garden and yes, they've eaten the lawn and anything other kind of vegetation!. Last week I've built a new fence to give them the bottom third of the garden including a greenhouse which is their conservatory!
Pretty much three huge and delicious eggs a day from them and have spent the princely amount of about £30 on feed and shavings for the coop.
Fresh water is a must and they will happily scoff any food scraps you throw out to them, as treats they love sweetcorn and dried mealworms!.
My advice definately do it!! Really therapeutic to sit in the garden and just watch them scratch and forage in soil.
DON'T whatever you do of falling into the Mumsnet trap of calling them chooks, girls or ladies!!
Glad you've bumped this thread - I was wondering how your hens were with all your snow y2blade.
We added three White Campbell ducks to our flock in July
They started laying at the beginning of December, 2 eggs a day (we have a Drake - Wiggins, and 2 ducks - Pendleton & Cavendish). Duck eggs are just divine. So much that I now prefer them when baking and poaching and feel I'm neglecting to use my hens eggs.
Hens have taken well to the ducks and they all play nicely. Out of the five hens I think three are laying at the moment and have most of the winter. So no shortage of eggs (or home baked cake) here.
4 delicious duck eggs, and 2 hen eggs.
Poached duck egg on Boxing Day
And plenty of cakes baked to see us through the snow
I still love them and am in such fascination amazement every time I find an egg.
We added three White Campbell ducks to our flock in July
They started laying at the beginning of December, 2 eggs a day (we have a Drake - Wiggins, and 2 ducks - Pendleton & Cavendish). Duck eggs are just divine. So much that I now prefer them when baking and poaching and feel I'm neglecting to use my hens eggs.
Hens have taken well to the ducks and they all play nicely. Out of the five hens I think three are laying at the moment and have most of the winter. So no shortage of eggs (or home baked cake) here.
4 delicious duck eggs, and 2 hen eggs.
Poached duck egg on Boxing Day
And plenty of cakes baked to see us through the snow
I still love them and am in such fascination amazement every time I find an egg.
skintemma said:
Wondered where you were Matt! How's the house coming on? Am I the only one who's going to be keeping chickens with a view to eating them. Obviously, I'll have one pen with the named ones, and ones for the eaters. Having had chickens in the past (and knowing how delicious the eggs were), I can only assume that one roasted is the finest thing I'll probably ever eat
Not worked on the house since before Christmas. Nose to the grindstone earning some pennies rather than spending them.
Since our hens are rescues they are not for eating, though they have come close to ending up in the oven a couple of times.
Gretchen said:
Glad you've bumped this thread - I was wondering how your hens were with all your snow y2blade.
We added three White Campbell ducks to our flock in July
Hi G,We added three White Campbell ducks to our flock in July
Not sure if you're aware, or care, but just so you know (I'm not telling you how to suck eggs, btw!) there are some do's & do not's wrt keeping chickens & ducks in the same enclosure.
http://poultrykeeper.com/keeping-ducks-faq/can-you...
All the best,
C.
PS- great looking grub!!!
Ffuxake said:
How noisy are the ducks Gretchen?
My chickens are in my urban garden but would love a couple of ducks!
We specifically chose White Campbells as they are quiet, as well as having been bred for their egg laying capability (top egg laying duck at 1 a day). My chickens are in my urban garden but would love a couple of ducks!
They're no noisier than the hens, in fact probably quieter unless disturbed - like Geese I've found they 'guard' making a very quiet quack type noise if they hear anyone or anything approaching the house or their garden. But even then it's quiet. Almost describable as a Bevis & Buthead type laugh. Drakes don't make any quack sound, just a gentle hiss, but Wiggins has never even done that.
They are messy though! Mine don't need water for swimming, though have a bath in which I put wheat so the hens don't eat it, They also have to be able to put their heads under water completely to clear their nostrils, and hence tend to make their bath water filthy and in turn the area surrounding it.
They've got plenty of room to waddle about in and love burying their beaks in search of grubs & worms. The only annoyance is, unlike hens, they never seem to lay their eggs in the same place for very long. I have to search under bushes, Behind coops, in coops, in nest boxes, under nest boxes... I know they're there somewhere it's just a matter of finding them.
Caractacus said:
Hi G,
Not sure if you're aware, or care, but just so you know (I'm not telling you how to suck eggs, btw!) there are some do's & do not's wrt keeping chickens & ducks in the same enclosure.
http://poultrykeeper.com/keeping-ducks-faq/can-you...
All the best,
C.
PS- great looking grub!!!
No problem. It's all good. Ducks were raised seperately until POL. They're now fed wheat under water and non medicated pellets. I don't have a cockerel & my hens are all dainty bantams none of whom have been in any way aggressive to the ducks. We did a lot of research before deciding on breed and living arrangements etc. Not sure if you're aware, or care, but just so you know (I'm not telling you how to suck eggs, btw!) there are some do's & do not's wrt keeping chickens & ducks in the same enclosure.
http://poultrykeeper.com/keeping-ducks-faq/can-you...
All the best,
C.
PS- great looking grub!!!
They have a decent sized 'paddock' mucked out regularly and covered in fresh straw, which is enclosed within an enclosed fox proof garden - in fact it's also now dog proof since I lost a few hens to my Border Collie - Mat you are a lucky man! There are two large coops and lots of hiding places and toys. They really are very spoilt!
But when they give such bountiful fruit in the deep golden yolk tasty eggs then they're worth it.
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